Missy Elliott (Hip-Hop Stars)

missy elliott

oys B e sti Bea mbs o C Sean Elliott y J Miss ool m C e L n L Emi tifah a L n Z Jay- Quee DMC – Run kur a h cS ons Tupa m m i ell S s s u R

missy elliott tracy Brown Collins

Missy Elliott Copyright © 2007 by Infobase Publishing All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information contact: Chelsea House An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York, NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Collins, Tracy Brown, 1972Missy Elliott / Tracy Brown Collins. p. cm. — (Hip-hop stars) Includes bibliographical references (p. ), discography (p. ), and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-7910-9569-0 (hardcover) ISBN-10: 0-7910-9569-X (hardcover) 1.  Elliott, Missy—Juvenile literature.  2.  Singers—United States—Biography—Juvenile literature.  3.  Rap musicians—United States—Biography—Juvenile literature.  I.  Title.  II.  Series. ML3930.E45C65 2007 782.421649092—dc22 

 

 

 

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Chelsea House books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can find Chelsea House on the World Wide Web at http://www.chelseahouse.com Text design by Erik Lindstrom Cover design by Ben Peterson Printed in United States of America Bang NMSG 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper. All links and Web addresses were checked and verified to be correct at the time of publication. Because of the dynamic nature of the Web, some addresses and links may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid.

Contents Hip-Hop: A Brief History by Chuck D

6

1

Missy’s Early Years

11

2

Taking Control

23

3

Establishing Herself in the Industry 33

4

Going Solo

44

5

Powerful Woman of Hip-Hop

56

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Dominating Mainstream Culture

68

Discography

82

Chronology

85

Glossary

88

Bibliography

90

Further Reading

92

Index

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introduction By Chuck D

Hip-Hop: A Brief History L

ike the air we breathe, hip-hop seems to be everywhere. The lifestyle that many thought would be a passing fad has, three decades later, grown to become a permanent part of world culture. Hip-hop artists have become some of today’s heroes, replacing the comic book worship of decades past and joining athletes and movie stars as the people kids dream of being. Names like 50 Cent, P. Diddy, Russell Simmons, Jay-Z, Foxy Brown, Snoop Dogg, and Flavor Flav now ring as familiar as Elvis, Babe Ruth, Marilyn Monroe, and Charlie Chaplin. While the general public knows many of the names, videos, and songs branded by the big companies that make them popular, it’s also important to know the holy trinity, the founding fathers of hip-hop: Kool DJ Herc, Grandmaster Flash, and 

Introduction Afrika Bambaataa. All are deejays who played and presented the records that rappers and dancers delighted themselves upon. Bambaataa single-handedly stopped the gang wars in the 1970s with the themes of peace, unity, love, and having fun. Hip-hop is simply a term for a form of artistic creativity that was spawned in New York City—more precisely the Bronx—in the early to mid-1970s. Amid the urban decay in the areas where black and Hispanic people dwelled, economic, educational, and environmental resources were depleted. Jobs and businesses were all but moved away. Living conditions were of a lower standard than the rest of the city and country. Last but not least, art and sports programs in the schools were the first to be cut for the sake of lowering budgets; thus, music classes, teaching the subject’s history and techniques, were all but lost. From these ashes, like a phoenix, rose an art form. Through the love of technology and records found in family collections or even those tossed out on the street, the deejay emerged. Different from the ones heard on the radio, these folk were innovating a style that was popular on the island of Jamaica. Two turntables kept the music continuous, with the occasional voice on top of the records. This was the very humble beginning of rap music. Rap music is actually two distinct words: rap and music. “Rap” is the vocal application that is used on top of the music. On a vocal spectrum, it is between talking and singing and is one of the few alternatives for vocalizing to emerge in the last 50 years. It’s important to know that inventors and artists are side by side in the importance of music’s development. Let’s remember that inventor Thomas A. Edison created the first recording, with “Mary Had a Little Lamb” in 1878, most likely in New Jersey, the same state where the first rap recording— Sugarhill Gang’s “Rappers Delight”— was made more than 100 years later, in 1979.





missy elliott It’s hard to separate the importance of history, science, language arts, and education when discussing music. Because of the social silencing of black people in the United States from slavery in the 1600s to civil rights in the 1960s, much sentiment, dialogue, and soul is wrapped within the cultural expression of music. In eighteenth-century New Orleans, slaves gathered on Sundays in Congo Square to socialize and play music. Within this captivity, many dialects, customs, and styles combined with instrumentation, vocals, and rhythm to form a musical signal or code of preservation. These are the foundations of jazz and the blues. Likewise, it’s impossible to separate hip-hop and rap music from the creativity of the past. Look within the expression and words of black music and you’ll get a reflection of history itself. The four creative elements of hip-hop—emceeing (the art of vocalization); deejaying (the musician-like manipulation of records); break dancing (the body expression of the music); and graffiti (the drawn graphic expression of the culture)—have been intertwined in the community before and since slavery. However, just because these expressions were introduced by the black–Hispanic underclass, doesn’t mean that others cannot create or appreciate hip-hop. Hip-hop is a cultural language used best to unite the human family all around the world. To peep the global explosion, one need not search far. Starting just north of the U.S. border, Canadian hip-hop has featured indigenous rappers who are infusing different language and dialect flows into their work, from Alaskan Eskimo to French flowing cats from Montreal and the rest of the Quebec’s provincial region. Few know that France for many years has been the second largest hip-hop nation, measured not just by high sales numbers, but also by a very political philosophy. Hip-hop has been alive and present since the mid-1980s in Japan and other Asian countries. Australia has been a hotbed in welcoming world rap acts, and it has also created its own vibrant hiphop scene, with the reminder of its government’s takeover of

Introduction indigenous people reflected in every rapper’s flow and rhyme. As a rhythm of the people, the continents of Africa and South America (especially Ghana, Senegal, and South Africa, Brazil, Surinam, and Argentina) have long mixed traditional homage into the new beats and rhyme of this millennium. Hip-hop has been used to help Brazilian kids learn English when school systems failed to bridge the difficult language gap of Portuguese and patois to American English. It has entertained and enlightened youth, and has engaged political discussion in society, continuing the tradition of the African griots (storytellers) and folk singers. For the past 25 years, hip-hop has been bought, sold, followed, loved, hated, praised, and blamed. History has shown that other cultural music forms in the United States have been just as misunderstood and held under public scrutiny. The history of the people who originated the art form can be found in the music itself. The timeline of recorded rap music spans more than a quarter century, and that is history in itself. Presidents, kings, queens, fame, famine, infamy, from the great wall of China to the Berlin wall, food, drugs, cars, hate, and love have been rhymed and scratched. This gives plenty reason for social study. And I don’t know what can be more fun than learning the history of something so relevant to young minds and souls as music.



1

Missy’s Early Years M

elissa Arnette Elliott, better known as Missy Elliott, was born on July 1, 1971, in Portsmouth, Virginia. At the time of Missy’s birth, singer-songwriters ruled America’s popular music scene. Artists such as John Denver, Carole King, and James Taylor, and rock bands such as the Rolling Stones, Genesis, and Pink Floyd dominated the airwaves. The record industry was booming in the early 1970s, and many record labels merged to form larger companies. Because so much money was being made, and thanks in part to the success of labels such as Motown in the 1960s, many of these companies took chances and formed rhythm and blues—or R&B—divisions. At the time, popular music was still fairly split along racial lines, and R&B was thought of mainly as 11

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MISSY EllIOTT

hiP-hOP’s bROnX ROOts In the Bronx, New York, in the 1970s, a new art form was born. While singer-songwriters and disco beats were playing on the radio, kids in the poorest neighborhoods of the Bronx were witnessing the genesis of hip-hop. Hip-hop is a cultural movement comprised of entirely original forms of music, art, and dancing. Under the radar of the media, MCs, graffiti artists, and breakdancers created a new culture of their own in their basements and on the streets as a means of expressing themselves. These artists were not necessarily thinking their creation would ever have a life beyond the Bronx, because it was so rooted to the neighborhoods in which it was born. Hip-hop music was, and continues to be, the cornerstone of the culture. Early on, DJs started adding MCs—masters of ceremony—to sing in rhyme over the records they were playing. DJs such as Kool DJ Herc, Melle Mel, and Kurtis Blow earned local fame for their live performances, which were sometimes taped by amateurs in the audience but were never professionally recorded. Grandmaster flash, who went on to record one of the early hit rap songs, “The Message,” turned down offers to be the very first recorded rap artist, saying, “let’s keep it underground. Nobody outside the Bronx would like this stuff anyway.” Indeed, there was a sort of pride in confining this regional treasure to neighborhood block parties and word-of-mouth performances. former gang leader Afrika Bambaataa began deejaying in New York City and by 1973 had formed the Zulu Nation, a group of DJs, graffiti artists, and break-dancers. The Zulu Nation gave inner-city youth an alternative to joining gangs and instead provided an outlet for kids who wanted to contribute to their communities in a positive way and help rid their neighborhoods of violence and drugs.

Missy’s Early Years

It wasn’t until 1979, when the first rap record was played on national radio—a song called “Rapper’s Delight,” produced by a 40-year-old woman named Sylvia Vanderpool and performed by the Sugarhill Gang— that the money-making potential of rap and hip-hop was understood. Vanderpool worked hard to get the record played on the radio. Once she was able to convince radio stations to play it, listeners took care of the rest, asking for the song to be played over and over. The record eventually sold more than 2 million copies and rose to number four on the R&B charts in the United States, reached the top of the charts in Canada, and was very successful in Europe, Israel, and South America. Still, the genre was a long way from reaching its potential. Even though audiences across America and around the world had been dazzled by their first taste of hip-hop, record companies were slow to accept the new form. It took years of experimentation, with popular artists such as punk rock group Blondie working raps into some of their songs, for the public and record executives alike to realize the genre might not be a fad. Successful movies like Krush Groove and Breakin’ brought a visual dimension to the music. In 1982, Bambaataa organized a European hip-hop tour which broadened hip-hop’s fan base. Groups like Run-DMC, who merged rap with rock and roll, and the Beastie Boys, rap’s first white artists of note, further carried hip-hop into the mainstream, with the help of pioneering producers Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons, who started Def Jam Records out of a dorm room. Today, hip-hop is as much a part of the global cutlure as any other genre of music. But rap music began, as Nelson George said in Hip Hop America, not as “a career move, but as a way of announcing one’s existence to the world.”

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missy elliott “black music.” But as record companies made more money, and budgets loosened, they began hiring more upper-level African-American employees and signing black artists in greater numbers. As disco’s popularity waned in the later part of the decade, hip-hop would emerge as the fresh, urban sound. It would not be as immediately popular in the mainstream, however, for many years to come. Disco music led the way in R&B music throughout the 1970s, more so than any other type of what was thought of as “black music,” and it was with disco that DJs began using two turntables to play one song after another without a break in between. “Mixing,” as this was called, helped DJs to be seen as artists in their own right through the unique mixes they made by combining different records. This was one early sign of hip-hop and rap emerging in parts of New York City during the 1970s, as Missy Elliott was growing up. Motown star Aretha Franklin recorded “Rock Steady” with the Rock Steady Crew, which later gained fame in the break-dancing world. Joe Tex’s album From the Roots Came the Rapper was one of the first to use the word rapper for a street poet.

Hard Times at Home When Missy Elliott was born, her father was a United States Marine, which meant there was a possibility the family might be moved due to reassignment to other military bases at any time. Although she was born in Virginia, she and her parents lived for a time in a mobile home community in Jacksonville, North Carolina—a place, Missy later said, where she felt she truly belonged. Missy amused herself in those days by singing and dancing to the Jackson Five until her mother would call her into the house and remind her to eat something. Then Missy would run back out and sing some more. When Missy was still quite young, her father left the marines and moved his family back to Portsmouth. The

Missy’s Early Years

Missy Elliott is among the most prominent rappers, songwriters, and record producers today. With five Grammy Awards and six platinum albums, she is one of the top-selling female hip-hop artists of all time. Critics and fans alike praise her creativity, style, and innovative music.

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missy elliott move was not easy on Missy, who missed her old home in Jacksonville. Also, money was tight. Missy’s mother, Patricia, told Rolling Stone magazine, “We’d take something like thirteen dollars and go to the grocery store, get bread, pork and beans, and hot dogs.” Their living conditions were rough. In the same Rolling Stone interview, Missy and her mother described how the house they had rented had so many rats that Missy’s dad would stay up nights to keep them off his family, who slept on the floor in sleeping bags he had gotten from his time in the marines.

A Childhood of Abuse Missy’s dad began to work as a shipyard welder. But, even though there was more money coming into the household, times were still hard for Missy and her mother. Missy’s parents did not have a happy marriage. Her father often beat Patricia in front of Missy. He hit Missy once, and he also pulled a gun on both her and her mother. She grew up very afraid of her father and was scared to leave her house for fear of what he would do to her mom next. Missy was afraid he might even kill her; there seemed to be no limit to his rage. Missy said in a March 2000 Essence magazine interview: Basically, [their relationship] just was rocky the whole time. I never wanted to go stay at my friends’ houses because I always thought my father would beat my mother up or kill her or something. I spent too much time running to my aunt and uncle’s house when my father would go into one of those rages. Two times I had to run in the snow with no shoes on.

Today although Missy is sometimes in touch with her father, she has never forgotten his treatment of her or her mother. On her 2005 album, The Cookbook, she opened up for

Missy’s Early Years

The Rock Steady Crew was a popular break dancing and hip-hop group, established in the 1970s. Soul singer Aretha Franklin (above) collaborated with the group and recorded “Rock Steady,” a song that later gained popularity in the break dancing world.

the first time in her music about her abusive father and what it was like to live with him in the song “My Struggles”: When I was young my pops, throw rocks Always [. . .] talk to my moms and call the cops Couldn’t wait ’til I was nice and grown Sick of daddy mouth ’til six in the morn’.”

Missy’s relationship with her father was not her only brush with abuse. When Missy was eight years old, a cousin sexually molested her. The abuse went on for a year before her aunt, the mother of the cousin, found out. “While I have found peace,”

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MISSY EllIOTT Missy wrote in an open journal published by Teen People in 2003, “there’s a part of me that never escapes the memories.” These cycles of abuse would later influence Missy’s music and charitable work.

fINDING HOPE IN MUSIC Missy was a very smart child who in grade school had drawn attention after scoring well on an IQ test. Her mother told Rolling Stone:

Missy’s Public Fight AgAinst Abuse Missy Elliott chose to go public about the abuse she had witnessed as a child because she wanted to help others who were living with the same problems and felt she could be an example for them. “You know, we see entertainers with their cars and their jewelry, and we think they have the good life. But everything ain’t always sweet and sugarcoated,” she explained in a 2002 interview with Entertainment Weekly. “I was molested. I went through seeing my father fight my mother most every day. There are a lot of people in the world who live like that. When an entertainer steps forward and lets the world know that they’ve been there, too, it seems that you can go through this and still be somebody.” Elliott wanted to do more than just share her inspiring story— she wanted to help people living with abuse get help. In an interview with Sex, Etc. (www.sexetc.org), an online Web magazine for teens by teens, Elliott talked about her situation and why she was drawn to helping others find the help they need. “My mother was abused by my father until I was 13 years old. At the time, I didn’t know what I could do or who I could turn to. Even though both my parents loved me, it was an unhealthy situation. I

Missy’s Early Years When she was in elementary school they took tests. Her IQ was so high, they sent someone from Richmond [Virginia] down to give her another test. Because it was like a genius IQ. Then they skipped her two grades, from the second to the fourth.

After she moved to the fourth grade, however, Missy’s grades dropped. She felt out of place with the older children and wanted to go back to being in school with kids her own age.

promised myself that if I ever had the chance to speak out and reach people, I’d help get the word out about domestic violence and let people know that help is available.” In 2004, Elliott began her fight against abuse by becoming a spokesperson for Break the Cycle, a nonprofit group that works to help young people build lives that are free from domestic violence and other forms of abuse. The Los Angeles–based group provides local and national services to people aged 12 to 24 years. It also addresses policymakers and works to convince lawmakers to provide better protection for young people who live with abuse. “When I was in school, they didn’t talk about teens experiencing dating or domestic violence,” Elliott explained. “It’s a problem, because kids might not realize they’re in an unhealthy relationship—they might not see the warning signs early on. That’s why I think Break the Cycle’s work is so important. They go into schools and teach kids about domestic violence and the law—and they let them know that help is available.” You can learn more about this group online at http://www. break-the-cycle.org/.

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missy elliott Missy was moved back to the second grade after her mother asked the school to do so. Missy also showed early signs of creative talent. When she stood on the street near her house and sang Jackson Five hits and other songs to passing traffic, people would lean out of their cars and clap for her. This gave her an early indication of her talent. But she didn’t require outside validation: When Missy didn’t have an audience, she’d create one of her own, using dolls or broomsticks, as she sang and danced behind her bedroom door. Missy remembered these days in an Entertainment Weekly interview: I used to sit in a room, lock the door, take my mother’s broomsticks, line up my dolls and sing. In my mind I pictured them screaming for me. I would go into a whole other zone. And I used to write stupid little songs. Of course they weren’t stupid to me, but I used to write about butterflies and birds and stuff. I’d be out there singing hard about the roaches or whatever. Every time a car would pull up, I’d sing louder and they’d end up clapping for me.

Missy often spent time in school writing letters to Janet and Michael Jackson and other famous artists of the day, asking them to come take her away from her hard life at home and her abusive father. Missy recalled in Interview that she would “imagine [Janet and Michael Jackson] running down the hall and asking my teacher, ‘Ms. Daniels, can we get Missy out of class? We’re here to see Missy.’ My imagination was always wild like that.” Her letters were not answered, but years later, she did finally hear from some of the artists she had admired the most as a young child and teen. Even then, after finding fame in the music business, Missy was blown away to hear from the artists she’d loved in her childhood. Asked in a Rolling Stone interview about some of the most exciting moments in her career, Missy said,

Missy’s Early Years

Missy Elliot was a performer at an early age. When she was a young girl, she would sing Jackson Five songs outside her house and put on a show for the passing traffic. In this 1972 photograph, The Jackson Five perform during the “Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour.” Future King of Pop, Michael (center) was the group’s lead singer.

I could name so many. When I got my first phone call from Janet [Jackson]. My first phone call from Whitney [Houston]. My first phone call from Mariah [Carey]. The first time I spoke to Madonna. Getting a call from Michael Jackson. In my mind, I was like, “I think people need to stop playing with my phone. I’m going to have to get my number changed.” I’m still in groupie mode. Madonna was

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missy elliott somebody I watched on TV, and I put on all those belts and gloves and started singing “Like a Virgin” in my room. You couldn’t tell me I wasn’t the black Madonna. So, to get those phone calls, I never adjusted to that.

Moving Forward Missy’s father’s abuse got worse as time went on, and Missy became more and more terrified of him. When things were finally bad enough, Patricia’s sister encouraged Patricia and Missy to leave the abusive home. This was a difficult choice to make, as both Missy and her mom needed Missy’s dad in a lot of ways. Patricia was able to find the strength to do it for Missy’s sake, but life on their own would not be easy.

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Taking Control W

hen Missy was 14 years old, her mother decided it was time to leave her husband and find a better life for herself and her daughter. Patricia instructed Missy to pack up her things in a way that would not draw her father’s attention. Missy gathered her belongings in bags and left them in her closet before going to school. During the day, her mother— helped by Missy’s aunt, uncles, and cousins—loaded up a rental truck and left their home for good. Missy and her mother began a new life together across town. Missy would later say in a 2003 Guardian Unlimited interview that they left her father with nothing but a fork, a spoon, and a blanket. “When we left, my mother realized how strong she was on her own, and it made me strong. It took her 23

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missy elliott leaving to realize.” The break from her abusive husband was empowering, and Missy picked up on that.

Starting a New Life Life on their own was not easy for Missy and her mother. They did not have a lot of money. Their house had so many mice that they had to keep their bread where the mice wouldn’t go—the clothes dryer. But the experience made both women stronger. Today, Missy says the strength her mother showed when she left her abusive husband helped Missy become the strong woman she is today, and that people who have been abused or hurt by others should not think it makes them weak. As she said in a 2002 interview with Entertainment Weekly: Just watching my mother move from being totally dependent on my father to getting out there and working and doing whatever she had to do to survive and keep me happy makes me realize how strong she was as a female. We’re all human. No matter how hard we think we are, something is going to hurt us sometimes. It’s a matter of picking yourself up and being strong.

Patricia shares the same admiration for her daughter, with whom she is very close. In the same Entertainment Weekly interview, she said, “What I’ve learned from Missy is to be determined. Whatever her dream or goal is she strives for that target and goes for it no matter what obstacles may be in her way. That’s what I would like to do.” Missy’s father never tried to get Missy and her mother to come back. Missy has talked with him over the years, but she has not forgiven him or forgotten his abuse. She simply has learned to deal with the experience in a way that has enabled her to survive.

Taking Control

The Teen Years By the time Missy was getting ready to enter high school, she had grown into a popular kid who was known for being a class clown. She recalled in 1999 while talking with Interview: I always made people laugh, and everybody wanted me to sit at the table with them. Or during break we’d be hanging out and people would be like, “Missy, come over here. Look at his shoes,” and they’d know I would start joking. I don’t joke as much as I used to, but I still can be a little comedian every now and then.

In addition to entertaining her classmates, Missy developed a talent for songwriting. She continued to work on her music, jotting down lyrics whenever they came to her, often writing them on the walls of her room. Missy based these early songs on conversations or fights she overheard at school, and the songs were reflections of the world she lived in. Missy told Entertainment Weekly, I used to write song lyrics all over the walls of my room. At first my mother was like, “You ain’t going nowhere this weekend if I see another song on that wall.” But after a while she just said, “You know what . . .” My mother didn’t want to fuss about too much. She just wanted me to be happy, because I’d been through so much. From 3 years old I remember my father stomping my mother in the face with combat boots, so it was like, “Okay, put another song up there. Who cares?”

Although as an adult she would earn up to $100,000 for writing a single song for artists such as Whitney Houston, Aaliyah, and Ginuwine, as a child Missy wrote and sang to escape from harder times. This was true for many of the

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missy elliott early artists of the hip-hop movement. But unlike many of the pioneers of hip-hop, who were content to confine their performances to neighborhood block parties, Missy had dreams of being a star. When asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, she’d say, “a superstar,” even though she never felt she was taken seriously. But she says she never wanted to be anything else.

Tim Mosely, aka Timbaland A key moment in Missy’s life happened right at home in Portsmouth, when she met a DJ known as DJ Timmy Tim, whose real name was Tim Mosely. In Tim, Missy found her first real music partner. “When I met Tim,” Missy recalled in a 1997 article in Billboard magazine, “he was making beats on this baby Casio keyboard—and he has big hands. It cracks me up that he started off on that tiny thing and that he’s now who he is.” Missy began writing lyrics to accompany Tim’s tracks. The first collaboration between Missy and Tim resulted in a piece Missy calls “Wonder Funky Groove.” The song, which was never recorded and which Missy and Tim can’t recall well enough to repeat today, was, in Missy’s words, “a hot song, a whole new thing.” She told Billboard, “I know that if it was to come out now, it would be the perfect summer song.”

Missy’s First Shot As Missy approached her last year of high school, she and her mother started talking about what she would do next with her life. Patricia wanted Missy to think about going to college or joining the military, but Missy had other plans. Missy and a few friends—LaShawn Shellman, Chonita Coleman, and Radiah Scott—performed Missy’s songs over music created by Tim and put together a demo tape. They called themselves Sista. With the creation of Sista, Missy began to pursue her dreams of superstardom.

Taking Control

Born Timothy Mosley, hip-hop power player Timbaland went by the name “DJ Timmy Tim” when he first met Missy Elliott. As a music team, Timbaland and Missy Elliott created many hit songs, such as “Hot Boyz,” “Get Ur Freak On,” and “One Minute Man.” Today, Timbaland is one the most popular and successful producers in hip-hop music, known for his distinctive percussion-heavy sound and his collaboration with artists such as Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, and Nelly Furtado.

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MISSY EllIOTT

hiP-hOP “bAcK in the DAy” Missy Elliot’s 2002 album Under Construction features a song titled “Back in the Day,” which includes the following lyrics: Remember when we used to battle? On the block before the lights came on Ohh! Mama said we would be straight-A kids If we did our homework, like we knew those songs.

The song is a tribute to the songs and stars of hip-hop, like Salt-N-Pepa, Rakim, Run-DMC, and Heavy D, that Missy listened to when she was growing up. In the mid-1980s, “old school” artists like Grandmaster flash and Kool DJ Herc made way for new artists, and hip-hop began its “golden age.” In 1984, the film Breakin’ helped further break dancing’s popularity with more mainstream audiences, as well as the popularity of other hip-hop art forms, deejaying, and graffiti. In 1985, female rap group Salt-N-Pepa’s song “The Show Stoppa” made it into the music charts. The following year, rap songs appeared twice in the Billboard charts: first with the Beastie Boys’ song “(You Gotta) fight for Your Right (to Party!),” and then with Run-DMC’s version of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way,” which was recorded with Aerosmith and was one of the first times a rap group and a rock group performed together. Hip-hop was becoming more and more popular with mainstream audiences all over the world. In its early days, popular hip-hop had a light, playful sound to it. Even when lyrics were describing hard times, the songs were tempered with clever humor. That changed with the

Taking Control

emergence of politically-conscious rap groups and the sub-genre of gangsta rap that followed. Suddenly, rap music was about violence and destruction. When Missy began writing songs for Under Construction, she and longtime collaborator Timbaland looked back to the music of earlier hip-hop for inspiration. Missy said in Entertainment Weekly in 2002: Once we came back to the studio and put those records on the turntable, it was like, “Dag, this is what’s missing in music right now,” Music back then was so much fun. It was warm. Now it’s, like, so tense in hip-hop. Back then music was so much a part of our lives. It was about learning every line. Now kids [are] on the computer. They get into music, but it’s not to the degree where we were. It feels different . . . When hip-hop was beginning for me, people weren’t making the kind of money that they make now. It was for the love of doing it and having fun with it.

Another verse of the song “Back in the Day” celebrates what Missy remembers as a more positive, creative time in hip-hop culture: What happened to those good old days? When hip-hop, was so much fun Ohh, house parties in the summer y’all And no one, came through with a gun It was all about the music y’all

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Hip-hop trio Salt-N-Pepa debuted in the late 1980s and was one of the top-selling female hip-hop groups of the time. The first all-female rap group to succeed in this male-dominated music genre, Salt-NPepa’s music and achievements greatly influenced Missy Elliott.

One night in 1992, Missy and her three girlfriends sang for DeVante, a singer-producer who was in Portsmouth touring with his group, Jodeci. DeVante liked what he heard and agreed to take the girls to New York City. DeVante signed Sista to his label, Swing Mob, and also signed Tim Mosely (it was DeVante who renamed him Timbaland) to produce the songs Missy wrote. DeVante signed another Virginia native, Melvin Barcliff, also known as Magoo, and today Timbaland & Magoo are still a musical duo. Although it certainly got their feet in the door, signing on to Swing Mob had a disappointing end for Sista. The four girls,

Taking Control

Missy’s eARly cOllAbORAtORs Missy Elliott’s rise to fame began with a few chance meetings in her native Virginia. Here are brief biographies of important people who worked alongside Missy as she made her entrance into the music scene in the early 1990s: DEVANTE SWING Born Donald Earle DeGrate Jr., on September 24, 1969, in Hampton, Virginia. Devante is a singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was one of the four members of the 1990s R&B group Jodeci, which had a string of hits from 1990 to 1996. DeVante also did production work for other artists, including Tupac Shakur. In 1992, DeVante created the Swing Mob imprint of Elektra Records, which signed a group of relatively unknown R&B and hip-hop artists, including Missy Elliott. Many of these artists worked on Jodeci albums, making the group a launching pad for Missy and other artists. TIMBAlAND (born Timothy Z. Mosley in Norfolk, Virginia on March 10, 1971) is an American hip-hop and R&B record producer and rapper. His unique style has made him one of the most successful producers in hip-hop. He is best known for his work with Missy Elliot and as half of the hip-hop duo Timbaland & Magoo. Timbaland released an album of his own music in 2007, Shock Value, which features collaborations with Justsin Timberlake, Elton John, and Nelly furtado, among others. MAGOO (born Melvin Barcliff on July 12, 1973, in Norfolk, Virginia) is a rapper who is best known as the other half of the hip-hop duo Timbaland & Magoo. like Timbaland, Magoo got his start in the music industry as a member of DeVante Swing’s Swing Mob when mutual friend Missy Elliott got DeVante to sign them both when he signed Elliott’s group Sista.

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missy elliott giddy and excited at the idea of their dreams of stardom coming true, found themselves not in New York City but in Rochester, New York, living in a stuffy rental house, eating fast food, and working hard for four long months. In 1994, the Sista album 4 All the Sistas was completed, but it was promptly shelved due to financial problems. When it was clear that the album would never see the light of day, the group broke up. The breakup of her first musical group was disappointing to Missy, but she did not let it discourage her from pursuing her dreams. She knew that being in Sista was not her only chance to make it big in the music industry. She tapped into the strength she had developed as a child and thought about her next step.

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Establishing Herself in the Industry M

issy Elliott did not return to Virginia after Sista disbanded. Instead, she decided to stay in New York and continue to write. Even though her group had failed, Missy continued to be inspired to write songs. DeVante was impressed by the work she and Timbaland did together, and he moved them to Hackensack, New Jersey, where they wrote songs for artists like Jodeci, Raven-Symone, and 702. Missy continued working with Timbaland and his tiny Casio keyboard. Timbaland would record a track on his keyboard, and Missy would write lyrics to match. She traveled throughout New York and New Jersey, staying with friends when she could and trying hard to get her music heard.

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The pairing of Timbaland’s beats and Missy’s lyrics was magic. Their collaboration resulted in successful songs for many popular artists. In the photograph above, Timbaland poses with rap artist Jay-Z.

Establishing Herself in the Industry

Life After Swing Mob After leaving Swing Mob, Missy and Timbaland were the same creative force working together as they had been back in Virginia. Missy used whatever she could find to write on when the feeling came over, as she had since childhood: fast-food wrappers, Styrofoam cups, whatever was on hand. Timbaland said he could hand Missy a recording and come back ten minutes later to a song. “Her songs were so beautiful to my tracks,” he recalled in a Rolling Stone interview, “I thought it was just a brilliant thing.” Missy explained in Billboard magazine in 1997 that her songwriting is inspired by the beat or groove. “I can’t write a song before I hear the music, because the way the music sounds is what guides me,” she said. “When I initially hear tracks, the first thing I hear are melodies. Then I get a feeling.” Although Missy and Timbaland created songs with original lyrics and unique, futuristic beats, the two did not have success right away. Discouraged, Missy tried to adapt her subject matter to reflect that of the more traditional songs that were played on the radio, songs about love and money, versus the “real-world” lyrics Missy had been writing. “I tried,” she told Rolling Stone. “The trash can would be full. Lyrically, it wasn’t satisfying. I was telling myself, ‘Somebody’s gonna like what I do.’ It was so different, yet it was hot.” Missy and Timbaland wrote and produced exclusively for Jodeci and Ginuwine. Missy also provided backup vocals for many of the artists she and Timbaland worked with. But their real break came when they were signed to write songs for the young, up-and-coming singer Aaliyah.

Missy, Timbaland, and Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 16, 1979. She had music in her blood: Her mother was a singer and her uncle was a manager and entertainment lawyer who had been married to R&B legend Gladys Knight.

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Timbaland and Missy Elliott continued working as songwriting/ production team for R&B singer Aaliyah (above). The two wrote and produced songs for Aaliyah’s second album, One in a Million. The album was a great success, selling more than 2 million copies.

Establishing Herself in the Industry Aaliyah began singing and taking voice lessons as a very young child, and at nine years of age she sang on the influential TV talent program Star Search. She didn’t win on the show, but two years later, when she was just 11 years old, her uncle set up a spot for her to perform for five nights in a Gladys Knight revue in Las Vegas. In 1992, 12-year-old Aaliyah met rising singer/songwriter/ producer R. Kelly, who became a mentor to the young singer. R. Kelly produced Aaliyah’s first album, which was released in 1994. The album, titled Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number, quickly went platinum. On it were the gold-selling singles “Back and Forth” (number 1 on the U.S. R&B charts) and “At Your Best” (number 2 on the U.S. R&B charts), as well as other popular singles. When the news broke that R. Kelly had married Aaliyah, who was only 15 at the time, the two soon parted ways and the marriage was annulled. Aaliyah left her mentor and began working with Missy Elliott and Timbaland when an executive at Elektra Records, Craig Clavin, asked the pair to lend their writing and producing skills to Aaliyah’s new album. Missy’s career took off fast after that, and together with Timbaland, she began to write and produce songs for some of the top recording acts in the industry. Aaliyah’s second album, One in a Million, was released in 1996. Timbaland was one of the producers who worked on the album, and he wrote several of its songs with Missy. Once again, there were many hits, one of which, “If Your Girl Only Knew,” went to the top of the R&B charts. Missy’s work caught the attention of Sylvia Rhone, chairman and chief executive officer of Elektra Records, who offered Missy a chance to run her own label later that same year. Aaliyah’s career also continued to skyrocket, and Timbaland was on board for her self-titled third album, released in the summer of 2001. However, tragedy struck one month later when Aaliyah died in a plane crash. In her short life, she had

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In 2001, 22-year-old Aaliyah died in a tragic plane crash (above). Aaliyah and Missy had become close friends. When Aaliyah died, Missy was devastated because she had lost a best friend. Missy recognized that Aaliyah helped further her career, and holds a special place in her heart for Aaliyah.

experienced incredible success and had helped boost the careers of both Timbaland and Missy Elliot. Missy had developed a close friendship with Aaliyah as well as an important professional partnership, and Aaliyah’s death was a blow to her. Missy said on www.sixshot.com,

Establishing Herself in the Industry “God, sometimes it gets hard to talk about but it gets worse for me as time goes on. Like I think in the beginning I was in shock. I was emotional, but not as emotional as I am now. It’s really hard for me now as I realize that she’s not comin’ back . . .” In 2002, Aaliyah’s album I Care 4 U was released and entered the charts at number 3. The album included some of her known songs as well as some material that had never been released. Missy stepped up to support the album: “People just gotta hear it, you know. If they thought Aaliyah was incredible all this time, it just gets better. The songs are incredible—these are songs she recorded that didn’t make this album . . . you know, they won’t be disappointed.”

Finding Songwriting Fame Missy Elliott contributed vocals to other artists’ tracks, including Gina Thompson’s 1996 song “The Things That You Do” and MC Lyte’s “Cold Rock a Party.” Both tracks were produced by Sean Combs, and both earned Missy recognition as a performer as well as a songwriter. But still, she was mostly gaining fame for her songwriting. Missy told Ebony Man that it was “The Things That You Do” in particular that made the public take notice. “People are just starting to know me for writing songs for other people,” she said at the time, while she was also working on songs for Brandy and Mariah Carey. “They just thought I rhymed a lot on these songs.” As more and more recording artists wanted to work with Missy, she started earning more for her efforts. By the end of the 1990s, she was asking for up to six figures per song. She told Essence magazine in 2000, “I always thought that if I could make five thousand [songwriting] here and there, that would be enough. But to get a $300,000-plus check and then another one for $125,000 maybe two weeks later—it really makes you realize how blessed you are. Never in a million years did I think I’d make that kind of money.”

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Before Missy Elliott became a solo artist, she wrote and produced hit songs for other recording artists, such as Mariah Carey (above) and Brandy. As a successful writer and producer, Missy earned approximately six figures per song.

Missy also showed that she could write more than one type of song, which increased her appeal even further. In 1999, she told Billboard magazine:

Establishing Herself in the Industry Ballad or up-tempo—it’s pretty much a toss-up. I can pretty much write to either one. I do think I get more females asking for songs, because they can pretty much relate to the issues. They feel it’s their testimony; I’m like the person who can put their feelings down on wax.

sOngWRiting cReDits The following is a selection of Missy Elliott’s songwriting credits. Missy made guest appearances on many of these songs. * 1996: “Steelo” by 702 (also guested) * 1996: “If Your Girl Only Knew” by Aaliyah * 1996: “One in a Million” by Aaliyah * 1997: “Can We” by SWV (also guested) * 1997: “I’ll Do Anything/I’m Sorry” by Ginuwine * 1997: “What About Us” by Total * 1998: “Trippin’” by Total (also guested) * 1998: “Make It Hot” by Nicole Wray (also guested) * 1998: “I Want You Back” by Mel B. (also guested) * 1999: “Heartbreaker [Remix]” by Mariah Carey featuring Da Brat (also guested) * 2000: “Take That” by Torrey Carter (also guested) * 2001: “lady Marmalade” by Mya, Pink, Christina Aguilera, and lil’ Kim * 2001: “Bootylicious [Rockwilder Remix]” by Destiny’s Child (also guested) * 2002: “I Care 4 U” by Aaliyah * 2002: “Oops! (Oh My!)” by Tweet (also guested) * 2003: “So Gone” by Monica (also guested) * 2003: “(My love is like) Wo” by Mya * 2004: “1, 2, Step” by Ciara (also guested)

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Chairman and CEO of Elektra Records, Sylvia Rhone (above) believed that Missy Elliott could be successful as a solo artist. Yet, the music executive never pushed Missy to take the next step. Rhone knew that Missy would sign a deal for a solo album only when she was ready, and she was right.

Establishing Herself in the Industry Missy proved herself to be a flexible and versatile writer capable of penning lyrics for a wide variety of artists. She described her writing process this way: “I put the situation in mind. So I write about what I see in everyday life or what I’ve experienced and think that any human being could go through.”

Looking Ahead to a Solo Performing Career In 2002, Sylvia Rhone spoke to Entertainment Weekly of Elliott’s obvious star potential: “You just see it, you hear it, and you know that it says ‘superstar.’ It wasn’t like we had to nurture or push. She could sing, she could rhyme, she could write, and she had a sense of what she wanted image-wise even back then.” Still, Rhone did not push Missy into signing as a performing artist. She waited until Missy felt ready, which, as it turned out, did not take very long.

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y 1996, Missy Elliott had written and produced charttopping songs and had even done guest vocals for hit records. It was rather surprising that, with all this success, she still did not have a solo deal. The reason may have been that her looks did not reflect the standard image of women in the music industry. Standing at five feet, two inches tall, with a figure that was larger than the average female pop singer at the time, to some record executives Missy simply did not look the part of the typical pop princess. Today’s music industry is not simply about talent or sound; artists need to be able to sell their looks as well. This was not a problem Missy had for long, however. Her talent continued to speak for itself. 44

Going Solo

Missy elliOtt AnD bODy iMAge People have said that it was Missy’s physical appearance that kept her from getting a solo recording deal before she did. However, she told interview in 1999 that she did not feel people made too much of her size, at least not in the print media. No one has ever, in magazines, made fun of my size. I get healthy women coming up to me all the time saying, “I’m so glad you opened the door for us. I was sick of seeing skinny women on TV.” They respect me for my music—and that’s another blessing from God. ‘Cause it would have been that people were just not having it: “You’re not a one-two, so you need to move over. We want to see the girl who can fit in a bikini, not the girl who gotta have on the shorts and the T-shirt ‘cause she don’t want her stomach to show.”

By 1999, singers and actresses were covered in the news for being too thin, and people started to wonder if certain celebrities were starving themselves to keep their shape. At the same time, Missy Elliott was actually losing weight, too. Not to be the thin girl in the music industry, but to be healthy. “I’ve lost thirtysome pounds, but not because I felt like I had to be in that rank with other small females,” she said. “I wanted to be in good health for my shows ‘cause I do a lot of dancing and running around, and I don’t want my heart to fail on me.” Missy went on to explain that she did not lose weight by not eating, but rather by working out more. “I go to the gym maybe three days a week, and I do exercises every day—three hundred crunches, two hundred leg lifts.” But Missy doesn’t get too hung up on her weight; she still lets herself have some of the foods she enjoys.

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Missy Elliott worked with Sean Combs on two records. After working together, Sean Combs wanted to sign Missy to his own record label, Bad Boy Records. Above, Diddy performs at the 25th annual American Music Awards in 1998.

A Recording Deal After hearing Missy’s vocals on two records he produced, Sean Combs (later known as Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, and, most recently, Diddy), had hoped to sign Missy to his

Going Solo label, Bad Boy Records. Instead, she signed a deal with Elek­ tra Records. In 1996, she not only got a recording deal for a solo album but also got her own imprint, the Goldmind Inc., for which she would record as a solo artist. Timbaland was again recruited as her production partner, a role he would hold on most Missy’s solo releases. Sylvia Rhone of Elektra Records suspected early on that Missy had what it took to make it as a solo artist, but she never wanted to push the young artist. Rhone told Rolling Stone in 1999, I let her come to that point herself. I encouraged it, I dropped hints about it. I think she realized her confidence level had grown with the success of the writing and the featured lines she was doing. I also knew that Missy didn’t want to just make any kind of record. She wanted to make a statement. In order to get that vision clear, it takes some time.

When Missy said the word, Sylvia Rhone simply said, “Let’s go.”

First Solo Project Missy hit the ground running with Goldmind, Inc. The day she got her contract, she signed her first act, Nicole Ray, and, within a month, she had signed two more. And then the time came to think about her own music. Missy and Timbaland left New York to record her debut album in a Virginia Beach studio that she described as about the size of a bedroom. Missy was so ready that her first album took only one week to make. She and Timbaland could put out a song in less than an hour. Missy told Billboard magazine in 1997,

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missy elliott Sometimes, I can just go into the studio and do my own thing. But most times, I would have to have gone through something. That’s the case with sad songs. I don’t think I’m a sad songwriter. I’m more of an everyday songwriter [whose songs make listeners go] “Ooh, I’ve been through that.”

Before the album’s release in June of 1997, Missy told Billboard magazine how excited she was about the work she was doing. “I wrote everything, and it’s a little different,” she said of Supa Dupa Fly when it was still a work in progress. “I honestly believe it’s going to change the face of radio.” The album was a big hit when it was released. Missy also got a lot of attention with her unusual and highly creative videos. The video for her first single, “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),” featured Missy in an inflatable space suit that looked like a giant garbage bag. Some thought that this was Missy’s way of making a statement about how female artists were treated and expected to look and act in the hip-hop industry. She denied this, saying she did the video because she thought it was a cute idea. In any case, the song was a huge hit for Missy; it defined her as an artist. It was the first time many people had seen Missy Elliott, and in it she had avoided the hackneyed video image of a female musician as a sex object, instead showing off her fun and creative side. Hype Williams, who would go on to work with Missy on later videos, directed the video for “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly).” Williams said he really enjoyed getting the chance to work with an artist as daring as Missy. He told Rolling Stone in 1999, She’s a very advanced person. You’re not going to find that many young female artists that are going to go in any direction outside of what’s typical. Typical beauty, typical fashion. Missy is like a Madonna for rap music, how Bjork is for alternative. She just thinks different.

Going Solo

Supa Dupa Fly was Missy Elliott’s debut solo album. Missy and her music partner, Timbaland, produced the entire album. The album featured the hit single “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),” which was completely original in sound and style. The song’s music video feature Missy performing in an inflatable space suit. The unique video was nominated for three MTV Video Music Awards and the album was nominated for a Best Rap Album Grammy Award in 1998.

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ReVieWs OF SUPA DUPA FLY Missy’s first album was a hit with audiences and reviewers. Below is a selection of the attention and praise Supa Dupa Fly earned Missy. In the September 4, 1997, issue of Rolling Stone, Supa Dupa Fly got 3.5 out of 5 stars. The reviewer wrote, “When Missy ‘Misdemeanor’ Elliott weds hip-hop and R&B, she not only avoids the pitfalls tripping up so many of her colleagues, she also finds new inspiration in the union . . .” In May 13, 1999, Supa Dupa Fly was listed in the magazine as one of the “essential records of the 1990s.” In October 1997, Spin magazine gave the album a score of 8 out of 10 and said it was “distinctive, cohesive, and innovative enough to wind up as the most influential pop record since Dr. Dre’s The Chronic (an album released in 1992 that became a multiplatinum seller and influenced most mainstream hip-hop of the day). Elliot’s proficiency with a hook is unerring; everything here has ‘hit’ stamped all over it . . .” In 1999, Spin ranked the album number 66 in its “90 Greatest Albums of the ‘90s” issue. Entertainment Weekly in 1997 called Missy Elliott “a wickedly innovative singer-rapper who favors expansive song structures and trip-hoppy textures. In the process, she creates an evocative space-age soul all her own.” The magazine gave the album an A- rating. Q magazine said in 1997 that Missy Elliott meant “exciting possibilities for sistas in the rap and R&B game . . .” and that the

Going Solo

album’s “sound and feel are what one might call futuristic . . .” The magazine also included Missy’s debut in its “90 Best Albums of the 1990s” roundup. The Source in 1997 named Missy “the most innovative female rapper of the year.” The magazine said the “combination of her boy Timbaland’s ill beats and Missy’s knack for crazy phrasing make Supa Dupa Fly a solid project . . .” Rap Pages in 1997 said the album “manages to stir up some summer fun . . . Missy clearly shines when she is able to combine her catchy grunts and quick-moving lyrics on R&B . . .” Village Voice ranked the album number 6 in its 1997 Pazz & Jop Critics’ Poll. All Music Guide called Supa Dupa Fly “arguably the most influential album ever released by a female hip-hop artist.” Explaining why it is an “essential,” the reviewer, Steve Huey, wrote “it had a tremendous impact on hip-hop, and an even bigger one on R&B, as its futuristic, nearly experimental style became the de facto sound of urban radio at the close of the millennium. In it’s original review, Vibe magazine predicted, “Missy represents myriad exciting possibilities for sistas in the rap and R&B game . . . Supa’s sound and feel are what one might call futuristic.”

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missy elliott It paid off. The video was nominated for 3 MTV Video Awards. In 1998, Supa Dupa Fly was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. The album entered the charts at number 3, making it one of the highest-debuting albums by a female hip-hop star on the Billboard charts. It also received rave reviews.

Happier in the Studio Many artists who have achieved the success Missy Elliott did with their first album would think it important to launch a big concert tour to maintain the public’s interest. Again, Missy proved that she is not your average artist. The little girl who loved to sing for cars passing by had grown into a woman who was a surprisingly shy person by nature. Ultimately, she was not comfortable doing a tour to promote the album. In Interview, Missy described her nervousness with crowds of people: “I’m close to my mother, and I could sit talking on the phone with her all day long. Right now it’s just me and you [the interviewer] in the room, but if there were five or six other people in here, I’d start getting wheezy and thinking everybody’s staring at me.” And although her nickname is Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott, she actually continues to live a quiet lifestyle and is not much of a party person. “You may catch me at a Puff (Sean Combs) party every now and then, but I’m not out like that all the time,” she told Interview. In a 1999 Rolling Stone interview, she described herself as a “sweet person; shy, deeply religious, a mama’s girl and, if you want to know the truth, not at all crazy about performing her hallucinatory hip-hop live.” Instead of spending a lot of time riding the success of her first album on the road, Missy got right back to work in the studio. “She’s a studio rat,” Sylvia Rhone said in the same 1999 Rolling Stone interview. “She lives in the studio. She’s not a big social person. Her home is her music, her safe place is her music. That’s the way she rolls.”

Going Solo

Unlike many others in the hip-hop industry, Missy Elliot does not enjoy the partying lifestyle. She prefers to live quietly, spend time in the studio, and hang out with her friends, including Mary J. Blige (above), Janet Jackson, and Lil’ Kim.

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THankful for What She’s Got Missy had arrived, but success has not made her forget who she is. She works hard. She spends time with her family and friends, who include Mary J. Blige, Janet Jackson, and Lil’ Kim. Her success makes her happy, and she is grateful for what she has. Of her life, she is quoted on www.buzzle.com as saying, “I can’t complain. I think when you get to a certain point you shouldn’t complain, because there’s so many people who would kill to get to this point. So yeah, I’m happy. I’m tired, too, but I’m happy.” Missy has also kept God in her life—she was raised a Baptist and remains one today. “That most definitely plays a part in who I am and how I handle things,” she said. “I’m constantly thinking of my blessings. I live and die by being a Baptist. If I can’t go to church on a Sunday, I’ll get a tape by the Clark Sisters (a gospel quartet) and slide it in for the day.” Missy ended her first album with “Missy’s Finale,” in which she sums it all up this way: Yo, you have come almost to the close of my album But before I go I just wanna thank God for staying with me Through my ups and downs and through my whole period Of doing this album, I want to thank Timbaland who came up with The beats and all the people who appeared on my album Make it hot, aight, I’m out.

Writing and Producing for Others Missy had achieved solo performance stardom, but with her label she produced and continued to write hit songs for other artists, including Whitney Houston, Paula Cole, Destiny’s Child, and Christina Aguilera. “The deal gives me freedom to discover new talent,” she told Essence magazine in 1998. “It was a blessing in disguise that our album [with Sista] fell through industry cracks. With my label, I can learn more about my craft by developing other artists.”

Going Solo Missy’s career as a performer had brought her fame and had opened many doors for her. But it was just as important that she continue to write for others and sign new artists to her label. Establishing herself as a behind-the-scenes contender all but ensured her longevity in the business. The shy girl from Virginia had been cast in a powerful role in one of the most lucrative and influential industries.

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Powerful Woman of Hip-Hop B

y 1998, Missy Elliot had established herself as a singer, songwriter, and producer, and she was being recognized as one of the most powerful women in hip-hop. In his book, Hip Hop America, author Nelson George discussed hip-hop as a culture controlled by men and noted that its “competitive nature has excluded women.” George described hip-hop as a culture that was missing a female star who would leave a permanent mark on it, as Billy Holiday did for jazz. Other women in hip-hop—Queen Latifah, MC Lyte—had their place, but Missy influenced the artistic development of hip-hop culture rather than just existing in it. Women are historically portrayed in hip-hop as objects, particularly in music videos and lyrics. Then Missy Elliott appeared as a true creative force. 56

Powerful Woman of Hip-Hop

In the photograph above, Missy Elliot performs at the 1998 Lilith Fair, a music festival that featured female musicians. Missy Elliott was the first hip-hop performer to perform at the festival, proving once again her role as an innovator.

Very few women hip-hop artists were as in control of their career as Missy Elliott, and she knew early on that the more control she had, the more she could secure her success and improve her earnings. “You don’t make any money being an artist,” Missy told Newsweek after the release of her second

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Missy AnD the 1998 lilith FAiR tOuR The lilith fair, which ran from 1997 to 2000, was a music festival that celebrated women. Canadian singer Sarah Mclachlan started lilith fair as a way to prove that an all-female lineup could fill stadiums across the country. And she was right; the 1997 tour was the most successful festival that year. It was criticized, however, for including too many of the same type of artist—too white, too pretty, and too folky. By 1998, the second all-women, 57-show, 41-city tour included a rotating roster of female music performers from a broader range of styles and genres. Missy Elliott—who was shy about performing live after her first album—was among the first hip-hop artists to join the tour, which also included Erykah Badu, the Indigo Girls, Shawn Colvin, Bonnie Raitt, and Mclachlan herself. The lilith fair was also a chance for the artists to play to audiences outside of their usual genre. Hip-hop superstar Queen latifah was also part of the 1998 tour. She told CNN, “This is the best tour, man, and it’s all women! I wanted to do this because I was excited about playing to a different audience than I might normally play to at a hip-hop show. The vibes are right.” As well as providing a great show, the lilith fair raised money for charities that helped women. One dollar from each ticket sold was donated to nonprofit charities all over the United States and Mclachlan’s native Canada, including the Breast Cancer fund; Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network; the AIDS research and awareness organization lIfEbeat; and Planned Parenthood.

Powerful Woman of Hip-Hop album, Da Real World. “Writing and producing? You get your money from that. You live comfortable.” By the late 1990s, Missy felt that a lot of women were starting to make themselves heard in the music industry and getting more recognition for their work. “I think we took so much for so many years, we’ve been behind the males. Now you go to awards ceremonies, you see more females up for awards. Everything is just a switch. The ladies are coming through now,” she told Rolling Stone. Unlike some artists, who view the music industry as a competition, Missy has produced, written for, and collaborated with many of her contemporaries. She believes that women in particular need to stand by each other to be stronger. “We’re in a male-dominated field, and instead of being angry with each other, let’s enhance each other,” she told Rolling Stone. A generous performer who believes collaboration helps people grow, she went on to talk about her plans for a tour of herself and other women in hip-hop, such as Lil’ Kim, Mary J. Blige, and TLC. “If we throw this tour, it’s gonna be off the hook.” Missy did join an all-female tour, the Lilith Fair, in 1998.

The Release of Da Real World Missy’s second album, Da Real World, was released in 1999. Because of the outrageous success of her debut, the pressure was on. She was a bit nervous about how the album would do, as are most artists when their sophomore—or second—album comes out. “Oh, yeah, you’re going to be nervous dealing with a sophomore, a junior anything,” she said while talking with Interview. “There’s always pressure for it to be hotter than the last album, so you critique it harder.” Timbaland produced the album, and Rolling Stone called him the most imaginative producer of the day. Missy and Timbaland’s style was by now influencing the work of other

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missy elliott artists and producers, a fact Missy addresses in Da Real World’s song, “Beat Biters,” which includes this lyric: Beat biter, dope style taker, originator Or just an imitator Stealin’ our beats like you’re the one who made ‘em Timbaland’s the teacher and I’m the one who grades ’em.

The album also included guest appearances by other artists, including Aaliyah, OutKast’s Big Boi, and rapper Redman. Rolling Stone gave the album three stars out of five and called Missy “someone so critical to the continued advancement of hip-hop that if she didn’t exist, she’d have to be invented, but also someone who’s much more interesting and significant than the music she is selling.” The title of the first single from the album included a negative term for women that often appears in the lyrics of male hip-hop stars. It was a risky move, but Missy had a different spin on the term. “With the new single,” she told Interview, “a lot of people were like, ‘Wow, you’re taking a chance with that title.’ But it’s really taking off.” Missy explained that she was addressing a prevalent issue in the hip-hop world: Music is a male-dominated field. Women are not always taken as seriously as we should be, so sometimes we have to put our foot down. If I’m paying people and they’re not handling my business right, I have to check them. ‘Cause sometimes you’re nice and people don’t jump on what they’re supposed to do, but if you go in there screaming at everybody, “Look, why aren’t my posters up?” or “Why wasn’t my single out on this day?” then they jump right on it.

Missy explained that there is a double standard. Often, women are called names and considered “difficult” just for expressing what they want. The same behavior from a man

Powerful Woman of Hip-Hop

As an accomplished performer, rapper, producer, and songwriter, Missy Elliott is considered a hip-hop mogul. Early comparisons to another mogul in the industry, Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs (right), garnered her the nickname “Puff Mommy.” Although flattered by the comparison, Missy would prefer to follow in the steps of music legend Quincy Jones (left), who has influenced the music industry for more than 40 years.

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missy elliott would be admired; or at the very least, as she said, “it’s just considered aggressive.” Her attitude about her work earned her the nickname “Puff Mommy,” a tribute to Sean Combs, who at the time was known as Puff Daddy. The nickname pleased Missy, but she would have preferred to be known as the female Quincy Jones, the legendary musician and music producer. “Puffy’s a very successful young man, so I don’t have a problem if that’s what they want to call me,” she told Interview. “If anybody calls me a female Quincy Jones, that’s way, way complimentary. That’s something I’ll cherish for life.”

Improving Herself After the release of her second album and coming into her own as a multitalented, international superstar of hip-hop, Missy Elliott had changed in some ways and stayed the same in others. Her changes were mostly positive: She lost 30 pounds over the course of a year to keep healthy and have the energy for touring. She quit smoking marijuana, too, which she told Newsweek was a “spiritual decision.” “When my mother reads this,” she said, “she’s gonna say, ‘I didn’t even know you were smoking.’” To have fun, Elliott would go to an amusement park or hang out with her friends. She also maintained a close relationship with her mother as her fame grew, which helped her keep a sense of herself and stay grounded. In 1999, as she was building a new home for them back in Portsmouth, her hometown, she and her mother shared a spacious home in New Jersey. Missy also had her faith in God. She told Rolling Stone that, even after a night out at a party or awards show, where the whole crowd seemed to want to be near the fabulous Missy Elliott, she’d come down, ground herself, and remember to thank God. “I go to sleep and it’s like, ‘Wait a minute, Missy, you can go to the party and you can do your photo shoots and your interviews, but you can’t make yourself stay up five

Powerful Woman of Hip-Hop minutes to say your prayers?’ He’s the one that wakes me up. He’s the one that takes me through the day.” Missy retained her work ethic, even after two successful albums. She continued to spend almost all her time in the studio, preparing for what she’d do next. She also continued to challenge herself creatively. She told USA Today her secret to staying on top in the music world: A lot of times, people come out with a style, and when they realize there’s a new style that hits, instead of staying in that same lane that made people love them, they change to fit what’s going on now. You’ve got to be original. . . . I want to go where nobody’s gone in music. If I do something that sounds like something else I’ve heard before, I won’t do it.

Missy E . . . So Addictive Although their careers had branched out considerably over the years, Timbaland and Missy reunited for her third album, the 2001 record Missy E . . . So Addictive. By the time this album was released, Missy had become a little less shy about meeting the public and was actually enthusiastic about hitting the road to promote her new work. The album, released in May, was first advertised in February of that year during the NBA AllStar weekend in Washington, D.C. “You really don’t know how much people love to see you until you get out,” she told Billboard magazine a month before the album’s release. “People are like, ‘We’re so glad you came here.’ I’m like, ‘Maybe I need to get out a little more.’ With this album, I’m going out to meet radio and retail reps and do a lot more in-store (appearances) and parties.” By this time, Missy’s first album had sold 1.1 million copies in the United States, and her second had sold 1 million. Elektra Records had big hopes for her third album, given the success of her first two albums. The senior director of marketing at Elektra believed the album could sell at least 3 million copies

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missy elliott and go multiplatinum. The album caused a buzz in other areas of the industry, too. In record stores, customers were asking for the album well before its release. Missy’s star power and talent were well understood and anticipated by now. Sean R. Taylor, music director at New York’s WQHT radio station told Billboard in 2001, “Missy is one of those talented artists who will always find a way to reinvent herself. She has great beats, great tracks. Her music is always pounding, moving, vibrant.” Timbaland was not the only one to join Missy in producing tracks or singing and rapping on Missy E . . . So Addictive. Other collaborators included Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, Eve, Tweet, and Ludacris. Nelly Furtado joined Missy in a remix of one of her biggest records, “Get Ur Freak On,” a track Missy told Billboard she was very excited about. “People are going to bug out when the hear it,” she said. “Nelly’s hot on the pop side, but R&B people are going to respect her when they hear this.” She was right. Nelly Furtado later worked with Timbaland on her 2006 album, Loose. Timbaland produced most of the album and also appeared on the album’s hit single, “Promiscuous.” Missy E . . . So Addictive received positive reviews in the press. Rolling Stone gave the album four out of five stars, calling it the most “inventive, rhythmically explosive pop music around…she proves that girl power is all well and good.” Spin magazine rated it an eight out of ten. The album was number 8 in Wire’s “50 Records of the Year 2001.” The single “Get Ur Freak On” won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance, and the video for the song was nominated for the 2001 MTV Award for Best Female Video. With all this success, Elliott kept her focus and continued to work hard; her bestselling album was to be released just a year later.

Under Construction On the 2002 album, Under Construction, Missy and Timbaland decided to record a tribute to the old days of hip-hop.

Powerful Woman of Hip-Hop

In the photograph above, Missy Elliott and Nelly Furtado (right) perform the “Get Ur Freak On” remix on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 2001. The original “Get Ur Freak On” was one of the biggest records on the 2001 Missy E . . . So Addictive album. The song won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance, and the accompanying video was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video.

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Missy Elliott is a five-time Grammy Award winner. In the photograph above, she poses with her awards at the 2002 Grammy Awards. She won the award for Best Rap Solo Performance for “Get Ur Freak On” and Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals for the song “Lady Marmalade.”

For inspiration, they listened to music by artists from hiphop’s early days. Joining Elliott on this album were Beyoncé Knowles, Jay-Z, TLC, and, of course, Timbaland. The double-platinum Under Construction would peak at number 3 in the United States, where it sold 2.4 million copies. Worldwide, the album sold 4 million copies. The album appealed to a broad audience, and critics were even more lavish with their praise of Missy’s work and her influence on the music scene than before. Rolling Stone, which gave the album four out of five stars, said,

Powerful Woman of Hip-Hop It’s hard to remember what the world was like before Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott came along, but historical records indicate that it was a lot more boring. In the past five years, Elliott has been more inventive and entertaining than anybody else in pop music (yes, including Beck)—she’s got the good humor of somebody who never minds if the joke’s on her. Her fourth album, Under Construction, uninhibited and unpredictable, is her best yet.

In 2003, Missy’s career was soaring. In just a few years, she had established herself as not only a hip-hop star but also as an artist that appealed to a wider audience, and she wasn’t slowing down. The music world waited with excitement to see what she would do next.

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Dominating Mainstream Culture F

rom the late 1990s into the 2000s, hip-hop was increasingly prevalent in American culture. Once branded a passing fad, the culture—most notably its music and fashion—seemed to be making a lasting impression. Hip-hop music was no longer the choice of a select audience; it was the music that topped the charts in the United States and abroad. Its artists took home the major music awards and started branching out into a variety of areas, including film, clothing lines, and advertising. Not everyone in the country was happy with what they saw and heard from hip-hop as it became more dominant in the mainstream. Gangsta rap in particular was criticized for glamorizing gang violence. Still the hip-hop entertainment industry was generating billions of dollars per year. 68

Dominating Mainstream Culture There was no question hip-hop ruled the music scene in the early 2000s. By 2003, Missy Elliott was a major star, and her standing in the industry brought her a wealth of opportunities to expand her fan base by dabbling in business and creative pursuits that took her beyond her already impressive set of skills.

Missy in Advertising Missy’s image and power to draw an audience made her a desirable personality for a variety of advertising campaigns. In the summer of 2003, the Gap featured Missy Elliott alongside Madonna in its TV and print advertisements. In the TV ad spots, Madonna and Missy appear, singing, rapping, and dancing down a fake street in Hollywood wearing Gap clothing, diamonds, and other jewelry. In one ad, Missy wears a T-shirt with her own face airbrushed on it. Missy and Madonna may seem quite different in music styles and personalities. But since they both have the star power to attract the attention of a broad audience, the Gap banked on them to bring in sales. In turn, doing the ads gave both women a chance to gain exposure to an audience they might not have attracted otherwise. Music legend Madonna no doubt earned as much credibility from the public for teaming up with Missy as she lent to the young rapper. Missy’s career was very much on the rise at the time, and she had more of a connection to young music fans and a much hipper image than Madonna, who has been in the business since the early 1980s. Missy regarded working with a star like Madonna as one of the highlights of her career at that time. Missy had long respected Madonna, as she explained to USA Today: Most definitely, I’m no Madonna, but I always thought if I had to be compared to somebody, I would want it to be

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is hiP-hOP DAngeROus? In 1982, hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster flash recorded his song “The Message.” This record was not the first rap recording, but it was the first rap record whose subject matter reflected the hardship of living in the inner city. The chorus described the frustration and anger a person feels growing up in a dangerous, run-down community: Don’t push me, cause I’m close to the edge I’m trying not to lose my head It’s like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder How I keep from going under.

At first, Grandmaster flash worried that nobody would want to listen to a song about poverty and crime, but “The Message” turned out to be a huge hit and did actually open some people’s eyes to the living conditions in the inner city. After acts such as ll Cool J and Run-DMC hit the mainstream, rap was seen as fun and sometimes frivolous. That changed with the introduction of Public Enemy, a radical, politically charged act whose songs challenged the status quo. By the turn of the century, many hip-hop artists were still describing their experiences in their lyrics, but the violent content and graphic descriptions had grossly increased. A subgenre of hip-hop—gangsta rap—became more and more popular. Artists who had been in gangs and done time in prison were becoming part of the mainstream culture, and there was concern that this made violence and crime seem cool. As gangsta rap’s popularity increased, many people from outside the hip-hop community began associating all hip-hop music with gang violence. As Missy Elliott told USA Today,

Dominating Mainstream Culture

There’s a bunch of forces that would like to stomp out rap music. Back in the day, [rap artists] would never have been in the Grammys. Now you have your white, Chinese, Japanese—all these different kids listening to rap music when, once upon a time, rap was only for the black environment. Now that it’s expanded, it’s like, “Oh, my God! They’re talking about shooting this and shooting that!”

Some critics suggested it was irresponsible for artists to have a lot of violence in their music because it gave the impression that violence was something to be admired. But Missy felt the opposite. When you’re an entertainer, you become a role model. I don’t think any entertainer likes it, because it doesn’t leave room for any mistakes. But I think that in the same sentence you say you’ve seen shootin’ in your ‘hood, you’ve seen people die, you can also let [listeners] know the outcome of situations like that. Because if you thought it was really cool, you’d still be doing what you did. You wouldn’t be rhyming.”

Does Missy think rap is dangerous? “No!” she told USA Today. She continued, I’ve heard rap music all my life, and I can distinguish between good and bad. If somebody said they shot somebody, that’s not gonna make me want to go shoot somebody, because of the way I was brought up. A lot of times, we allow music and radio to baby-sit our children, then blame it as being dangerous. You have to teach your children what to do and what not to do.

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By 2003, Missy Elliott was not only a successful hip-hop artist; she was a pop culture star. In the summer of that year, Missy Elliott and pop icon Madonna were featured in an ad campaign for Gap Clothing. The ad campaign was a big hit, and Missy Elliott gained even more exposure than ever before.

Dominating Mainstream Culture

In 2003, Missy Elliott performed with (from left) Britney Spears, Madonna, and Christina Aguilera at the MTV Video Music Awards. Missy Elliott won Video of the Year and Best Hip-Hop Video for the single “Work It.” The award-winning song was featured on her fourth album Under Construction.

her. There’s never been a wall to stop her. She’s been very edgy, even when people may have said she wasn’t talented or whatever. She’s been around for a long time, so she’s proved people were wrong.

The two would later perform at the MTV Video Music Awards, along with Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears. The Gap ads got a thumbs-up from Adweek, which called them “a win-win for the Gap; most important, as an effortless

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In this 2004 photograph, Missy Elliott poses at a press conference to announce her partnership with Adidas. Elliott started her own Adidas clothing line called “Respect M.E.” This was Adidas’s first partnership with a musician since their 1986 ground-breaking deal with hip-hop trio Run-DMC, whose endorsement of the sneakers made Adidas the hip-hop shoe of choice.

Dominating Mainstream Culture blend for the ages, ethnicities, and musical styles, the campaign suggests a democratic elasticity that goes to the heart of what the Gap brand has always stood for.” When asked whether she feared that doing a commercial for the Gap would make it seem like she was selling out or becoming too commercial, Missy told Interview, “Nah, I mean, shoot, I was happy. I’m getting into commercials, and from commercials, maybe I’ll get into movies. Matter of fact, I hope they call me again.” Missy said the experience was a good one, but she was surprised to learn how much work goes into such short ads. “I had a lot of fun. It’s amazing—it took ten to twelve hours for just that little bit. I told my friends, ‘Come pick me up, I’ll be finished in an hour.’ So an hour passed and I’m still doing the same thing over and over.” The Gap was not the only company hoping to cash in on Missy’s stardom to attract customers. In 2003, Missy signed on to be the international spokesperson for Vanilla Coke, and in 2005 MAC cosmetics named her as one of the spokespeople for the MAC AIDS Fund, the charitable branch of the company. That year, Missy joined Christina Aguilera, model Linda Evangelista, actress Chloe Sevigny, and singer Boy George in promoting lipstick and lipgloss, the proceeds of which went to the MAC AIDS Fund. Her participation in these campaigns showed that major corporations showed that major corporations recognized her star power, and also that they counted on her to attract a consumer-based audience.

Clothing Line and Acting Career In 2004, Missy Elliott started her own clothing line with Adidas. The line, called Respect M.E., had the slogan “Be sexy, be bold, be positive, be original”—words that sum up her own image. Respect M.E. features such required hip-hop wear as tracksuits, T-shirts, boots, and accessories, but it is also in part a nod to the days when Adidas played a major role in hip-hop fashion.

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A histORy OF hiP-hOP FAshiOn fashion has always been an important part of hip-hop culture. Clothes worn by hip-hop artists have helped establish the attitude and message of the movement since the beginning, but the trends and styles have changed over the years. The early hip-hop stars reflected much of what was going on in 80s fashion: oversized clothing and slick, put-together styling. large sunglasses called Cazals, Kangol hats, rings for multiple fingers, and Adidas shell-toed sneakers were all the rage. Sneakers were worn without laces (to pay homage to prisoners whose shoelaces were taken away from them upon entry to prison), or with large, wide laces (or “phat” laces, as they were called) and were made popular by artists such as Run-DMC, ll Cool J, and Kurtis Blow. Bright colors; track suits, clothing that was red, black, and green (symbolizing black pride); and baseball caps worn backward, sideways, or in any other possible way were common in hip-hop fashion by the late 1980s and early 1990s. Run-DMC made history by landing an endorsement deal with Adidas after company executives realized the number of fans copying the band’s style. When Run-DMC performed their song “My Adidas” at Madison Square Garden, hundreds in the packed crowd held up their Adidas sneakers in tribute. Corporate big shots took notice and decided to cash in on an opportunity they had been overlooking. The deal marked the first time nonathletes were signed to advertise athletic sneakers. During the late 1980s, with the rise of black nationalism, hiphop fashion turned to blousy pants, dreadlocks, and fez hats. Duo Kris Kross sparked a fad of wearing ones clothes backward. Hip-hop fashion took a different turn with the rising popularity of gangsta rap in the mid-1990s. Big, baggy pants worn without a belt symbolized prison life because prisoners are not allowed

Dominating Mainstream Culture

to wear belts. Timberland boots, military clothing, and hooded sweatshirts were also common trends. Later in the 1990s, hip-hop fashion took a turn toward the glamorous, adopting a slick style of alligator shoes and expensive suits. Many artists—including Missy Elliott—started their own clothing lines, which broadened the appeal of hip-hop style. Russell Simmons, Sean Combs, and Jay-Z all have successful clothing lines that are taken very seriously in the notoriously exclusive fashion world. Jewelry (bling) remains a major aspect of hip-hop fashion. In the 1990s, Salt-N-Pepa popularized gold door-knocker-size earrings. Heavy gold chains were de rigeur as a way to show prosperity. Later, jewelry covered in diamonds became a common symbol of wealth and power in hip-hop. One trend is “grills,” removable, jeweled, caplike coverings for the teeth. Established fashion houses like Tommy Hilfiger have been embraced by the hip-hop community, who take the preppy designs and make them their own. Currently, the street fashions favor large T-shirts, baggy jeans, chains, a do-rag, and the latest sneakers. There is also a culture combining hip-hop fashion with skater clothes. However, stars such as Sean Combs and Andre 3000 are known for their fitted, colorful preppy ensembles. Some hip-hop artists have bucked all fashion trends, refusing to popularize a brand or style. Public Enemy’s Chuck D has criticized the practice because it encourages a culture of materialism, resulting in many people living beyond their means. Whatever the style, one thing is for certain: as with hip-hop music, hip-hop fashion is on the cutting edge, setting trends for the rest of the world to follow.

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In 2005, Missy Elliott added to her award collection when she won a Grammy Award for Best Short Form Video for the single “Lose Control” off of her sixth album The Cookbook. The single, “Lose Control” went platinum five times, surpassing her previous biggest hit, “Work It.”

Dominating Mainstream Culture Missy also began to dabble in television and film. In 2005, she joined a long line of celebrities in hosting her own reality TV show. The show, called The Road to Stardom with Missy Elliott, aired in January of 2005 on the UPN network. The premise of the show was to put 13 rapping and singing contestants through a variety of challenges in hopes of earning a $100,000 record contract with Missy’s label, Goldmind. Contestants got feedback from a panel of judges each week, and at the end of each show, Missy chose one contestant to be eliminated. Although the show maintained a respectable audience, its ratings were not high, and it was not renewed for a second season. (The winner, Jessica Betts, plans to release her album sometime in 2008.) Missy also had small roles in movies, TV shows, and documentaries. She did some voiceover work for 2004’s animated feature Shark Tale.

Back to the Studio . . . Between 2003 and 2005, Missy recorded her fifth and sixth albums, 2003’s This Is Not a Test and 2005’s The Cookbook. Although neither album achieved the sales and success of 2002’s Under Construction, both were very well received. Two singles from This Is Not a Test rose in the urban charts: “Pass That Dutch” and “I’m Really Hot.” Her 2005 release debuted at number 2 in the United States and included the top-ten hit “Lose Control,” the video for which earned her six MTV Video Music Award nominations (she won two—Best Dance Video and Best Hip-Hop Video). Missy was recognized with many top-honors nominations and awards in 2005. She won Best Female Hip-Hop Artist at the 2005 American Music Awards and was nominated for five Grammy Awards: Best Short Form Video, Best Rap Song, Best R&B Song, Best Rap Album, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. She ended up taking home the Best Short Form Video Grammy for “Lose Control.” Missy was

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Missy Elliott’s many accolades include 17 MTV award nominations, 3 BET Awards, 2 American Music Awards, 5 Lady of Soul/ Soul Train Awards, and 5 Grammy Awards. She is an innovator, groundbreaker, and most of all, a great hip-hop entertainer.

also nominated for Best International Female Artist at the 2006 Brit Awards. Although her fame and overwhelming influence on hiphop culture as a whole opened up doors for new ventures and opportunities, music is still the main focus for Missy Elliott.

Dominating Mainstream Culture As she gets ready to record her seventh album with longtime collaborator Timbaland, Missy is still at the top of her game and only plans to climb higher. As she told Ebony Man, “I went through a lot. I’ve been in this business for a minute—a long minute. I’ve still got a lot of growing to do. I feel like [there is] a lot more success ahead for me. This is nowhere if you compare it with where I’m trying to be.”

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appendix

Discography Supa Dupa Fly (1997) Da Real World (1999) Missy E . . . So Addictive (2001) Under Construction (2002) This Is Not a Test (2003) The Cookbook (2005) Respect M. E. (Anthology) (2006)

selected songwriting/ Production credits 1996 “Steelo” by 702 (also guest appearance) 1996 “If Your Girl Only Knew” by Aaliyah 1996 “One in a Million” by Aaliyah 1997 “Can We” by SWV (also guest appearance) 1997 “I’ll Do Anything/I’m Sorry” by Ginuwine 1997 “What About Us?” by Total 1998 “Trippin’” by Total (also guest appearance)

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Appendix

1998 “Make It Hot” by Nicole Wray (also guest appearance) 1998 “I Want You Back” by Mel B. (also guest appearance) 1999 “Heartbreaker [Remix]” by Mariah Carey featuring Da Brat (also guest appearance) 2000 “Take That” by Torrey Carter (also guest appearance) 2001 “Lady Marmalade” by Mya, Pink, Christina Aguilera, and Lil’ Kim 2001 “Bootylicious [Rockwilder Remix]” by Destiny’s Child (also guest appearance) 2002 “I Care 4 U” by Aaliyah 2002 “Oops! (Oh My!)” by Tweet (also guest appearance) 2003 “So Gone” by Monica (also guest appearance) 2003 “(My Love Is Like) Wo” by Mya 2004 “1, 2, Step” by Ciara (also guest appearance)

Filmography 2001 Pootie Tang 2003 Honey 2004 Shark Tale (voice talent)

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Appendix

2005 Intimate Portrait: Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott 2005 Fade to Black (documentary) 2005 Just for Kicks (documentary)

television 2005 The Road to Stardom with Missy Elliott

chronology

1971 July 1 Missy Elliott born in Portsmouth, Virginia.



1973

Afrika Bambaataa forms Zulu Nation.



1979

Sugarhill Gang records “Rapper’s Delight.”



1984

 he film Breakin’ furthers break dancing’s popularity T with the mainstream public.



1985

Patricia and Missy Elliott leave Missy’s father.



S alt-N-Pepa makes it on to the music charts with their song “The Show Stoppa.”



1986

 or the first time, rap songs appear twice on the F Billboard charts.



1988

Missy Elliott meets Tim Mosely, aka Timbaland.



1990

 issy graduates from high school and forms all-girl M group Sista.



1992

DeVante signs Sista to his Swing Mob label.



1993

Sista breaks up and Missy begins a career as songwriter.



1995

 issy and Timbaland write and produce nine tracks M for Aaliyah’s second album, One in a Million.



1996 S igns a contract with Elektra Records that gives Missy her own label, Goldmind Records.



1997 Releases her debut solo album, Supa Dupa Fly.



1998 Performs on the Lilith Fair tour.

Supa Dupa Fly nominated for Best Rap Album Award at the Grammys.

1999 Releases her second album, Da Real World.



2001 Aaliyah killed in plane crash.





Elliott’s third album Missy E . . . So Addictive is released.

2002 Releases her biggest hit single to date, “Work It.” 85

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Chronology

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“ Get Ur Freak On” wins Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance.

Releases her fourth album, Under Construction.

2003 With Madonna, appears in TV ads for the Gap.

Releases her fifth album, This Is Not a Test!

2004 Becomes spokesperson for Break the Cycle.

P  artners with Adidas on clothing line called  Respect M.E.

2005 W  ins Best Female Hip-Hop Artist at the 2005 American Music Awards and is nominated for five Grammy Awards.

Timeline

1996

1971 July 1

Signs a contract with Elektra Records that gives Missy her own label, Goldmind Records.

1993

Missy Elliott born in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Sista breaks up and Missy begins a career as songwriter.

1997

1971

1997

Releases her debut solo album, “Supa Dupa Fly.”

1985

Patricia and Missy Elliott leave Missy’s father.

1988

Missy Elliott meets Tim Mosely, aka Timbaland.

Chronology

Named as one of MAC AIDS Fund’s spokespeople. Releases her sixth album, The Cookbook. 2006 Wins a Grammy Award for Best Short Form Video for “Lose Control.”



U  niversal Pictures announces a film project based on Missy Elliott’s life. Releases the greatest hits album Respect M.E. 2007 P  roduces tracks for Whitney Houston’s “comeback” album.



1999

2005

Releases her second album, “Da Real World.”

2003

With Madonna, appears in TV ads for the Gap.

Wins Best Female Hip-Hop Artist at the 2005 American Music Awards and is nominated for five Grammy Awards.

1999

2006 2001

Aaliyah killed in plane crash.

2004

Becomes spokesperson for Break the Cycle.

2006

Releases the greatest hits album Respect M.E.

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glossary break dancing  A form of dance that began in the early days of hip-hop in the Bronx. contract  An agreement for musical work, formed between an artist and a record label. DJ  A person who plays records to entertain, particularly someone who mixes music to create his or her own style. domestic violence  Violence done to one person by another in the same home or family. gangsta rap  Rap music that focuses on themes of gang violence and crime. genre  A category within a type of art, such as hip-hop in music, action movies in film, and thrillers in literature. platinum  An album is said to have “gone platinum” when it sells more than 1,000,000 copies in the United States. The number of albums sold to make an album platinum varies from country to country, depending on the population. A gold record is one that has sold 500,000 copies in the United States. graffiti  Artwork done with spray paint, usually on public property. guest appearance  Singing or rapping on another artist’s record. hip-hop  An urban cultural movement that began in the 1980s that includes break dancing, graffiti art, clothing styles, and music. imprint  In the music industry, an imprint is a separate branch within a record label, usually one that focuses on a particular group of artists or style of music within the larger range of the label itself.

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Glossary

MC  The person with the microphone who kept the crowd energized while the DJ played music; it now describes someone who raps and performs hip-hop music. mixing  The act of blending sounds from different music sources—such as instruments or records—to create a new track. producer  A producer manages the recording process, including coaching a performer and overseeing the mixing process. rap  A style of music in which a person talks in rhyme over music. record label  A company or brand within a company that records and distributes music, usually of a particular style. rhythm and blues (R&B)A style of music with gospel, blues, and jazz influences. signed  To be offered a recording contract. track  The music part of a song, without the lyrics.

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bibliography Baker, Lindsay. “Scary? Missy Elliott?” Guardian Unlimited Newspapers. October 31, 2003. http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/10-31-2003-47138.asp. Brunner, Rob. “She Ain’t Heavy.” Entertainment Weekly, Issue 683 (November 22, 2002), p. 32. Chambers, Veronica. “Be Like Mike?” Newsweek (October 6, 1997), p. 77. Chambers, Veronica. “Missy’s Back with Real-World Raps.” Newsweek, Vol. 134 (July 5, 1999), p. 60. Eliscu, Jenny. Rolling Stone, Issue 934 (October 30, 2003), pp. 58–59. George, Nelson. Hip Hop America. London: Penguin Books, 1999. Gregory, Deborah. “Missy ‘Misdemeanor’ Elliott.” Essence, Vol. 28 Issue 9 (January 1998), p. 58. Hirshey, Gerri. “Rhymes and Misdemeanors.” Rolling Stone, Issue 816/817 July 8–22, 1999), p. 55. Kenon, Marci. “Elliott’s Third Album Is ‘So Addictive.’” Billboard, Vol. 113 Issue 15 (April 14, 2001), p. 32. Lipperts, Barbara. “Madonna + Missy = Win-Win-Win,” Adweek, Vol. 44 Issue 30 (July 28, 2003), p. 26. Margena, Christian. “Rap’s Newest Superwoman.” Ebony Man, Vol. 13 Issue 1 (November 1997). Marin, Ispas. “A Brief History of Hip Hop Fashion.” November 21, 2005. http://EzineArticles.com. Mitchell, Gail. “They Write the Songs.” Billboard, Vol. 111 Issue 25 (June 19, 1999), p. 28. Morgan, Joan. “The Making of Miss Thang!” Essence, Vol. 30 Issue 11 (March 2000), p. 92.

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Bibliography

Musto, Michael. “Master Missy: Writer, Singer, Producer, and Label Head Missy Elliott.” Interview, June 1999. Nelson, Havelock. “Missy Forges Her Own Groove.” Billboard, Vol. 109 Issue 25 (June 21, 1997), p. 45. Silberger, Kathy. “Super Fly Girl: Missy Elliott Bugs Out,” Rolling Stone, October 2, 1997, p. 22. Watkins, Craig S. Hip Hop Matters: Politics, Pop Culture, and the Struggle for the Soul of a Movement. Boston: Beacon Press, 2006.

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further reading BOOKS Ayazi-Hashjin, Sherry. Rap and Hip-Hop: The Voice of a Generation. New York: Rosen Publishing, 1999. Baker, Soren. The Music Library: The History of Rap and HipHop. San Diego, Calif.: Lucent Books, 2006. Green, Jared (editor). Examining Pop Culture: Rap and Hip Hop. San Diego, Calif.: Greenhaven, 2002. Hoffman, Fran, general editor. American Popular Music: Rhythm & Blues, Rap, and Hip-Hop. New York: Facts on File, 2005. Jones, Maurice K. Say It Loud! The Story of Rap Music. Minneapolis: Millbrook Press, 1994. King, Sahpreem. Gotta Get Signed: How to Become a Hip-Hop Producer. New York: Schirmer Books, 2005. Light, Alan (editor). The Vibe History of Hip Hop. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1999. Lommel, Cookie. The History of Rap Music. New York: Chelsea House, 2001. Pough, Gwendolyn. Check It While I Wreck It: Black Womanhood, Hip-Hop Culture, and the Public Sphere. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2004.

on the web Missy Elliott’s official Web site http://www.Missy_Elliott.com. Atlantic Records http://www.AtlanticRecords.com. Homepage of Break the Cycle, an organization that helps protect teens from abuse http://www.break-the-cycle.org/.

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Further Reading

MTV http://www.mtv.com. Kids discuss the role of women in hip-hop http://www.childrens-express.org/dynamic/PUBLIC/women_ hiphop_280405.htm. Respect M.E. clothing http://www.adidas.com/missy.

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photo credits Page 15: Associated Press/ ALESSANDRO DELLA BELLA 17: Associated Press/STR 21: Associated Press 27: Associated Press/ SUZANNE MAPES 30: Associated Press/ MARK J. TERRILL 34: © Mitchell Gerber/CORBIS 36: Associated Press/ JIM COOPER 38: Associated Press/ TIM AYLEN 40: Associated Press/LYNSEY ADDARIO 42: © Getty Images 46: Associated Press/KEVORK DJANSEZIAN

49: A  ssociated Press/MARK J. TERRILL 53: A  ssociated Press/ SUZANNE PLUNKETT 57: A  ssociated Press/  JOE FUDGE 61: A  ssociated Press/GERALD PEART 65: © Getty Images 66: © Getty Images 72: © Getty Images 73: © Getty Images 74: © Getty Images 78: © Getty Images 80: A  ssociated Press/ Chris Pizello

COVER Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

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index 4 All the Sistas, 32 702, 33, 41

bling, 77 Blondie, 13 Blow, Kurtis, 12, 76 body image, 44, 45, 62 Boy George, 75 Brandy, 39, 40 break dancing, 12, 14, 28 Break the Cycle, 19 Breakin’, 13, 28 Breast Cancer Fund, 58 Bronx, roots of hip-hop and, 12–13 Busta Rhymes, 64

A Aaliyah, 35–39, 41, 60 abuse father and, 16–17, 22–23 fight against, 18–19 sexual, 17–18 Adidas, 74, 75 advertising, 69–75 Aerosmith, 28 Afrika Bambaataa, 12 Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number, 37 Aguilera, Christina, 41, 54,  73, 75 4 All the Sistas, 32 Andre 3000, 77 “At Your Best” (Aaliyah), 37 awards Grammy, 15, 49, 52, 64, 66, 67, 78, 79–80 MTV Video Music, 49, 64, 67, 73, 79 summary of, 80

C Carey, Mariah, 21, 39, 40, 41 Carter, Torrey, 41 Cazals, 76 charities, 58 Ciara, 41 clothing, 75–78 clown, Elliott as, 25 Coca Cola, 75 “Cold Rock a Party” (MC  Lyte), 39 Cole, Paula, 54 Coleman, Chonita, 26 collaborators, summary of, 31 Colvin, Shawn, 58 Combs, Sean Bad Boy Records and, 46–47 comparison to, 61, 62 fashion and, 77 parties and, 52 as producer, 39 The Cookbook, 16–17, 78, 79

B “Back and Forth” (Aaliyah), 37 “Back in the Day” (Elliott), 28–29 Bad Boy Records, 47 Badu, Erykah, 58 Barcliff, Melvin (Magoo), 30, 31 Beastie Boys, 13, 28 Betts, Jessica, 79 Big Boi, 60 birthday of Missy Elliott, 11 Blige, Mary J., 53, 54, 59

D Da Brat, 41 Da Real World, 59–62

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96

Index

DeGrate, Donald Earle Jr. (DeVante), 30, 31 Destiny’s Child, 41, 54 DeVante Swing, 30, 31, 33 Diddy. See Combs, Sean disco, 11, 14 DJ Timmy Tim. See Timbaland DJs, 14, 28 drugs, 62

graffiti artists, 12, 28 Grammy Awards, 15, 49, 52, 64, 66, 67, 78, 79–80 Grandmaster Flash, 12, 28, 70

H

education, 18–20, 25, 26 Elektra Records, 31, 37, 47, 63 Elliott (father), 16–18, 22–23, 24 Elliott, Patricia (mother), 16, 22–24 Evangelista, Linda, 75 Eve, 64

Haughton, Aaliyah Dana,  35–39, 41, 60 Heavy D, 28 Hilfiger, Tommy, 77 hip hop music “Back in the Day” and, 28–29 dangers of, 70–71 fashion and, 76–77 roots of, 12–13 “Hot Boyz” (Elliott/ Timbaland), 27 Houston, Whitney, 21, 25, 54

F

I

fashion, 75–78 father of Missy Elliott, abuse and, 16–18, 22–23, 24 Franklin, Aretha, 14, 17 From the Roots Came the Rapper, 14 Furtado, Nelly, 27, 31, 64, 65

I Care 4 U, 39 “If Your Girl Only Knew”  (Aaliyah), 37, 41 “I’m Really Hot” (Elliott), 79 image, 44, 45, 62 Indigo Girls, 58 intelligence, 18–19

G

J

gangsta rap, 29, 68, 70–71, 76–77 Gap Clothing, 69, 72, 75 George, Nelson, 13, 56 “Get Ur Freak On” (Elliott/ Timbaland), 27 “Get Ur Freak On” (remix),  65, 66 Ginuwine, 35, 41 Goldmind, Inc., 47

Jackson, Janet, 20, 21, 53, 54 Jackson Five, 14, 20, 21 Jay-Z, 27, 34, 64, 66, 77 jewelry, 77 Jodeci, 31, 33, 35 John, Elton, 31 Jones, Quincy, 61, 62

E

K Kangol hats, 76

Index

Knight, Gladys, 35, 37 Knowles, Beyoncé, 66 Kool DJ Herc, 12, 28 Kris Kross, 76 Krush Groove, 13 Kurtis Blow, 12, 76

L “Lady Marmalade”, 66 Leno, Jay, 65 LIFEbeat, 58 Lil’ Kim, 41, 53, 54, 59 Lilith Fair, 57, 58, 59 LL Cool J, 70, 76 “Lose Control” (Elliott), 78, 79 Ludacris, 64

M MAC AIDS Fund, 75 Madonna, 21, 69, 72–73 Magoo, 30, 31 marijuana, 62 MC Lyte, 39, 56 McLachlan, Sarah, 58 MCs, 12 Mel B., 41 Melle Mel, 12 “The Message” (Grandmaster Flash), 12, 70 mice, 24 Miss E . . . So Addictive, 63–64 “Missy’s Finale” (Elliott), 54 mixing, 14 movies, 13, 79 MTV Video Music Awards, 49, 64, 67, 73, 79 “My Adidas” (Run-DMC), 76 “My Struggles” (Elliott), 17 Mya, 41

N This Is Not a Test, 79

O One in a Million, 36, 37 “One Minute Man” (Elliott/ Timbaland), 27

P “Pass That Dutch” (Elliott), 79 Pink, 41 plane crash, 37–38 Planned Parenthood, 58 Public Enemy, 70, 77 Puff Daddy (Sean Combs) Bad Boy Records and, 46–47 comparison to, 61, 62 fashion and, 77 parties and, 52 as producer, 39 Puff Mommy (nickname), 61, 62

Q Queen Latifah, 56, 58

R R. Kelly, 37 R&B, popularity of, 11, 14 “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” (Elliott), 48–51 Raitt, Bonnie, 58 Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, 58 “Rappers Delight” (Sugarhill Gang), 13 Raven-Symone, 33 Ray, Nicole, 47 reality shows, 79 Redman, 60

97

98

Index

“Respect M.E.” (clothing line), 74, 75 Rhone, Sylvia, 37, 42, 43, 47, 52 The Road to Stardom with Missy Elliott, 79 Rock Steady Crew, 14, 17 “Rock Steady” (Franklin/Rock Steady Crew), 14, 17 From the Roots Came the ­ Rapper, 14 Rubin, Rick, 13 Run-DMC, 13, 28, 70, 74, 76

S Salt-N-Pepa, 28, 30, 77 schools, 18–20, 25, 26 Scott, Radiah, 26 Sevigny, Chloe, 75 sexual abuse, 17–18 Shark Tale, 79 Shellman, LaShawn, 26 Shock Value (Timbaland), 31 “The Show Stoppa” (Salt-NPepa), 28 Simmons, Russell, 13, 77 Sista, 26, 30–32, 54 sneakers, 74, 76 songwriting, 25–26, 35, 39–43, 54–55 Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, The, 21 Spears, Britney, 73 Star Search, 37 Sugarhill Gang, 13 Supa Dupa Fly, 48–51 Swing, Devante, 30, 31, 33 Swing Mob, 30–32

T Taylor, Sean R., 64 television, 79 Tex, Joe, 14 “The Things That You Do” (Thompson), 39 Thompson, Gina, 39 Timbaland (Tim Mosley) Aaliyah and, 33–37 Under Construction and, 29, 64–67 Da Real World and,  59–60 first collaboration with, 26 Miss E . . . So Addictive and, 63–64 overview of, 27, 31 as producer, 30, 47 Supa Dupa Fly and, 49 Timberlake, Justin, 27, 31 Timmy Tim. See Timbaland TLC, 59, 66 Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The, 65 Total, 41 touring, 52, 57, 58 Tupac Shakur, 31 Tweet, 41, 64

U Under Construction, 28–29, 64–67 UPN Network, 79

V Vanderpool, Sylvia, 13 Vanilla Coke, 75 videos, 48–49, 64, 67

Index

violence, 29, 70–71

Wray, Nicole, 41

W

Y

“Walk This Way” (Aerosmith/ Run-DMC), 28 weight, 44, 45, 62 Williams, Hype, 48 “Wonder Funky Groove” (Elliott/Timbaland), 26

“(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (to Party!)” (Beastie Boys), 28

Z Zulu Nation, 12

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about the authorS Tracy Brown Collins received her master’s degree in Euro-

pean cultural history from the University of Amsterdam and has more than 12 years’ experience in the publishing industry. She has written and edited several nonfiction books for young adults, as well as teacher and student guides for various educational publishers. Chuck D redefined rap music and hip-hop culture as leader and

cofounder of legendary rap group Public Enemy. His messages addressed weighty issues about race, rage, and inequality with a jolting combination of intelligence and eloquence. A musician, writer, radio host, television guest, college lecturer, and activist, he is the creator of Rapstation.com, a multiformat home on the Web for the vast global hip-hop community.

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